Major view
Gb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Cb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords Ebm, Bmaj7, Db6, Abm7, Gbmaj7, Db Easy key G
Ebm
Prisoner, prisoner, locked up
Gbmaj7
Can't get you off my mind, off my mind
Bmaj7
Lord knows I tried a million times, million times, oh-woah
Abm7
Why can't you, why can't you just let me go
Ebm Db6
Strung out on a feeling, my hands are tied
Ebm Db6
Your face on my ceiling, I fantasize
Bmaj7 Abm7 Ebm Db6
Oh, I can't control it, I can't control it (I can't control it)
Ebm Db6
I try to replace it with city lights
Ebm Db6
I'll never escape it, I need the high
Bmaj7 Abm7 Ebm Db6
Oh, I can't control it, I can't control it (Control it, oh)
Bmaj7 Db
You keep making it harder to stay
Ebm Db
But I still can't run away
Bmaj7
I gotta know why can't you, why can't you just let me go
Ebm
Prisoner, prisoner, locked up
Gbmaj7
Can't get you off my mind, off my mind
Bmaj7
Lord knows I tried a million times, million times, oh-woah
Abm7
Why can't you, why can't you just let me go
Ebm
Prisoner, prisoner, locked up
Gbmaj7
Can't get you off my mind, off my mind
Bmaj7
Lord knows I tried a million times, million times, oh-woah
Abm7
Why can't you, why can't you just let me go
Ebm Db6
I tasted Heaven now I can't live without it
Ebm Db6
I can't forget you when your love is the loudest
Bmaj7 Abm7 Ebm Db6
Oh, I can't control it, I can't control it (Can't control it)
Bmaj7 Db
You keep making it harder to stay (Oh I)
Ebm Db
But I still can't run away
Bmaj7
I gotta know why can't you, why can't you just let me go
Ebm
Prisoner, prisoner, locked up
Gbmaj7
Can't get you off my mind, off my mind
Bmaj7
Lord knows I tried a million times, million times, oh-woah
Abm7
Why can't you, why can't you just let me go?
Ebm
Prisoner, prisoner, locked up
Gbmaj7
Can't get you off my mind, off my mind
Bmaj7
Lord knows I tried a million times, million times, oh-woah
Abm7
Why can't you, why can't you just let me go
Ebm Gbmaj7
Can't get you off my mind
Bmaj7
Why can't you just let me go? Million times
Abm7
I wanna know why can't you, why can't you-
Famj7
I wanna know why can't you, why can't you-
Db6
I gotta know why can't you, why can't you just let me go
End of song Play again?
Harmony analysis
The song opens on Ebm and ends on Db6. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Major view
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
Minor view
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Eb minor side because it opens on Ebm and Ebm is heard 17 times against 6 for Gb. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Gb or to Ebm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Gbmaj7 | Tonic — home | Gb · Bb · Db · F | 6× |
| ii7 | Abm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb | 9× |
| iii | Bbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V/vi | Bb | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Ebmsecondary dominant | Bb · D · F | — |
| IVmaj7 | Bmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D# · F# · A# | 13× |
| V6 | Db6 | Dominant — strongest pull home | Db · F · Ab · Bb | 10× |
| V | Db | Dominant — strongest pull home | Db · F · Ab | 4× |
| vi | Ebm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Eb · Gb · Bb | 17× |
| vii° | Fdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Tonic — home | Eb · Gb · Bb | 17× |
| ii° | Fdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| IIImaj7 | Gbmaj7 | Relative major — the bright side | Gb · Bb · Db · F | 6× |
| iv7 | Abm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb | 9× |
| v | Bbm | Minor dominant — soft pull | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V | Bb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Bb · D · F | — |
| VImaj7 | Bmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | B · D# · F# · A# | 13× |
| VII6 | Db6 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Db · F · Ab · Bb | 10× |
| VII | Db | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Db · F · Ab | 4× |
The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 6 different chords appear 59 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
The move to watch is Abm7 → Ebm, heard 8 times. From the Ebm side it is iv7 → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the Gb side it reads ii7 → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
The opening Ebm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Ebm, Bmaj7, Db6, Abm7 carry the song: vi–IVmaj7–V6–ii7 relative to Gb, i–VImaj7–VII6–iv7 relative to Ebm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Abm7 → Ebm (ii7 → vi in Gb, iv7 → i in Ebm): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. The final chord is Db6; the ear comes to rest in Gb.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
Ready-made lists by difficulty and mood.
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